Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens

Many of you local Oregonians living near Portland may be unaware of the beautiful park that we have right in our midst.
I'm talking about the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens located across from Reed College and adjacent to East Moreland Golf course. For you photographers there are many prospects here. This is a romantic park with many trails and water features. Free admission awaits those that can visit any Tuesday or Wednesday. For more information here is the
website

Covered Bridges Of Cottage Grove

 

Well I guess not all photo ventures can be fulfilling. Looking for fall color in Oregon, Laurie and I set out for cottage grove to experience and photograph old bridges along the covered bridge tour route. To say we were disappointed would be an understatement. Heading south from the Portland towards Eugene the clouds began to thicken to the point that the sky became a drab shade of cement. We came to our first of seven bridges and noticed that you don't actually drive through these bridges at all, in fact there all just sitting next to modern day asphalt roads which takes away the historical feel right away. Some of the bridges were somewhat dilapidated and covered with graffiti. I would have thought that these bridges would fall under some historical jurisdiction and would require that they be kept up. The nicest one we saw was the Dorena Bridge that you see above. As for the fall color all we saw were ugly yellows browns and mostly just dead non inspiring foliage. Unfortunately I can't say that we would recommend this trip. Very anti climatic and uninspiring.

Dahlias In Bloom

 

Laurie and I decided to go out to the Swan Island Dahlia farm in Canby Oregon today and maybe capture a little color.
apparently this particular farm is the largest grower of Dahlias in America with over 40 acres planted. We were astonished to see how many varieties were planted. The color and visual impact really rivaled that of the tulip farms we visited months earlier.You can check out a few more shots on the website. Dahlias will look great up to the first frost of the season, so if your looking for a hearty flower for your own landscapes you can check out their websiteHere .